• Kenya will hope for back to back appearances in the quadrennial show to justify the nation's progress in the team sport but hard yards in training and behind the scenes activities will be crucial to achieving this feat.
• The national beach volleyball circuits which took off October last year Homa Bay was the launch pad.
Image: FILE
Beach volleyball is slowly gaining popularity in the country since its inception in 1995 amidst myriad challenges the 27-year-old game faces.
The last 10 months in particular have been a success considering Kenya's improved global status in the game.
The women pair of Brackxides Agala and Gaudencia Makokha debuted at the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and left with their heads held high despite a group stage exit.
The Olympics are one of the world's most prestigious sporting events and so to make it to this stage was quite a huge achievement for Kenyan beach volleyball.
Kenya now faces a challenge to maintain the high standards set even as the focus shifts to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
The bare minimum is back-to-back appearances in the quadrennial show but this will require hard yards in training and behind-the-scenes activities.
Kenya Beach Volleyball Commission secretary Sammy Mulinge says success is anchored on three pillars that the federation is burning their midnight oil to implement successfully.
Image: REUTERS
Grassroots campaign
The national beach volleyball circuit, which began in Homa Bay in October last year was the launchpad for a campaign to popularise the sport across the country.
The tour, which then proceeded to Makueni (December) and Mombasa (February), has been a revelation after backing from the Kenya Volleyball Federation, according to Mulinge.
The Nyanza show had a total of 12 teams and the numbers increased in the subsequent legs, with 20 teams rubbing shoulders in Makueni and a further 32 teams turning out for the Mombasa contest.
It is not surprising that there's a change in perception that beach volleyball is simply a 'pension scheme sport' for athletes.
Mulinge, a Confederation of African Volleyball CAVB instructor, believes players need international exposure to gain the experience needed to fight for top honours.
"The objective of popularizing the game has been achieved so far but that is not enough, "Mulinge who won two Nyerere Cups with Rwandese side APR, said.
He adds: "The next step is to take players to the World Tour to earn points and expose the athletes. We have to build on the Tokyo edition and ensure that we qualify for Paris. It is imperative to improve on our rankings as well and the earlier this is done, the better."
Mulinge served at APR for a decade during which he won six national league titles and five memorial tournament cups before returning home in 2019.
Last year, he guided Kenya Ports Authority to a fifth-place finish at the African Club Championship, in their maiden appearance at the premier competition.
Image: /FILE
The Moses Mbuthia-chaired commission has implemented youth programmes aimed at developing talent.
To ensure continuity at the national team level and ease of transition, a talent pool is a must, both for individual and team sports.
Both men's and women's national teams are in dire need of fresh blood after the dismal outings at the African Commonwealth Games qualifiers in Ghana last month.
Naomi Too and Veronicah Adhiambo managed bronze while the men finished fourth to miss out on the sole slot reserved for the continent.
"Nurturing the players from an early age not only imparts them with the right skills but also enables them to adapt to the demands of beach volleyball. We need to incorporate schools in national tours because most of the grassroots talent is found in schools," Mulinge reckons.
The Youth World Championship zonal qualifiers are due next month in a yet-to-be-known venue.
Players will be called for trials and successful ones will be picked for duty. KVF have to use the post-pandemic period to organise or enable teams participate in more competitions.
"We have been to Tanzania many times for competition which is a plus. Now that normal activities have resumed after the pandemic, there are no excuses why we shouldn't be in competitions. I know Egypt will host an event but I hope we will field a team," Mulinge, 50, says.
Right structures required
On his part, national men's coach Patrick Owino said Kenya has the potential to become a global force only if proper facilities are availed to the athletes. Lack of facilities is derailing Kenya's efforts to become a superpower.
Owino, who previously coached Kenya Forest Service, wants KVF to play a leading role in sensitising institutions before putting up facilities.
Image: /FILE
"What is holding people back at the moment is lack of facilities. Beach volleyball courts need to be constructed and spread across the country for easier accessibility. Stakeholders must work in tandem with clubs and ensure that every county has a court," Owino, whose last assignment as a national team player was at the All Africa Games 2011, remarks.
He adds: "It's absurd that within Nairobi, we only have the Strathmore University court, which is also sub-standard. KVF need to sensitize institutions before setting up sports facilities. Age-group competition can only be possible if we have facilities."
Beach and conventional volleyball is managed by FIVB. Beach volleyball courts are easier to construct since they only require fine sand but, astoundingly, they are unavailable. This has forced national teams to conduct all their residential training camps in Mombasa.
"With the right structures, growth is guaranteed. It will only be proper that national tours will not collide with league matches so that everybody has a chance to enjoy the game," Owino says.
Bright spots
Image: REUTERS
Seamless transition into the national team is needed before Kenya heads to Paris in two years' time.
Adhiambo, 21, is a future superstar if her Ghana show is anything to go by. The hard-hitting Kenya Pipeline left attacker was preferred at the expense of the accomplished duo of Makokha and Agala.
DCI's Mercy Iminza has been tipped for greatness by Mulinge, along with many others. The same can be said of the men's team who need radical re-organization.
Owino said he had no choice but to go with the players he had for the last assignment.
"Enock Mogeni and Brian Melly headed for professional stints overseas so we had to go with what we have. We want to be in Paris and that calls for competition by embracing the changes that are needed," the former Nairobi Water coach says. Kenya's journey to greatness in beach volleyball has begun if the roadmap put in place lives up to the expectations.